Says health care vote was ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’

The former president of a Pennsylvania teacher’s union will challenge Republican Rep. Tim Murphy after he went unchallenged last year.

Mike Crossey is the former president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and a current Mt. Lebanon commissioner. He considered a run for lieutenant governor in 2014 before ultimately deciding against it.

Crossey told Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate that Murphy’s vote for the Republican repeal of the 2010 health care law was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” since he worries it will cause people to lose their health insurance.

“The other thing it does is makes it more expensive for seniors, and it makes it more expensive for those with pre-existing conditions,” he said.

Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District is a majority-Democratic district that broke for President Donald Trump.

Murphy is currently serving his eighth term in the House.

But Crossey said he thinks Murphy’s support for the Republican agenda of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan could make him vulnerable.